The Next Step
by Charmed-SparkleSS
Summary: Six years after high school, Seth proposes to Summer. How will their lives change? SS, lots of fluff! 6th chapter up!
1. Life

Title: The Next Step

Author: Charmed-Sparkle

Disclaimer: I don't own The OC or anything else related to it (But I wish I owned Adam Brody!)

Summary: Summer and Seth have been out of high school for six years, and are living together in NYC. When Seth proposes, how will their lives change? SS, lots of fluff.

A/N: This is my first OC fic. Please be honest, I want to know if it's worth continuing. It's supposed to really fluffy and fun, not really serious. But if you guys like it, there will probably be a little of bit drama later on. Anyway, please read! This is just like an introduction to the lives of Seth and Summer now.

**Chapter One: Life**

Seth fumbled around for his keys as he tried to pry open the door to his apartment. After the day he had at work, all he wanted to do was come home and relax. Finally getting the door to work, he stepped in, and sighed as he removed his coat, scarf, and shoes. New York sure was different than Newport. November in Newport, it would be in the 70's or low 80's.In New York, it felt like below zero, though he doubted that was what it actually was. It was times like these when he missed California, if not just for the weather.

He had moved away about six years earlier, to go to Brown University. He remembered that day, he had packed up his stuff and left to start a new part of his life. Luckily, he didn't have to do it alone. Both he and Summer had gotten into Brown. At the end of their second year, they got an off-campus apartment. Since the graduated, they moved to Manhattan, and now had a nice SoHo apartment. Their relationship had basically stayed the same, but gotten better in Seth's opinion. They still bickered, but it was never serious. Much to Seth's delight, Summer had finally opened up more, she wasn't as afraid to share her feelings. They were no High-School-Ryan-And-Marissa, but she wasn't afraid to hug or kiss him in public. Still, he had a few rage blackouts thrown his way once in a while, but not often.

As Seth thought of Summer, he realized she should have been home by now. She was usually home before him. That was part of what he loved about living together. He could come home, thoroughly exhausted, and he would walk into their home, and she would be sitting at the table, or on the computer, and he would instantly feel better. That was what he needed today, and unfortunately, she wasn't home. He went to the refrigerator and taped to the door handle was a note.

_Cohen,_

_Went to the store (grocery!) to pick up a few things, should be back at like 7. Order some dinner, you can pick tonight!_

_Summer_

Seth grinned as he read the note and then checked his watch, it was 6:45. He went into their "take out drawer," and pulled out the menu to their favorite café. He called and ordered wraps, drinks and a piece of Summer's favorite chocolate cake. He then put the menu back in the drawer, but had some difficulty. They had started it when they first moved in. Any restaurant they deemed worth of eating often was out in the drawer, it was like a tradition for them. Since they both worked, almost every meal was ordered in, or picked up. As he shook his head to stop thinking of old memories, he heard the buzzer and his girlfriend's voice.

"Cohen, can you come help me? I've got a lot of bags!" Summer voice called. Seth walked over and pushed the button to talk back.

"Yeah, I'll be down in second."

"Thank."

He went down the two flights of steps to get from their third floor walk-up to the main level.

"Hey, how was work?" he greeted Summer with a kiss on her cheek.

"It was okay, nothing interesting, how about you?"

"Pretty much the same, I just had a lot of boring stuff to do."

Seth was now working at a publishing place that published a few popular comics and a lot of less well known ones. He was working on advertising for them and really enjoyed it, though he hoped to eventually go into the more creative department. Summer was also trying to work her way up in her job. She was working as an assistant, one of three, to someone at Coach. Her boss wasn't the main creative force, but she and four others were right below that position. A lot of Summer's job consisted of ordering lunch and getting coffee, but she also handled paperwork, and basically anywhere she was needed.

Summer smiled at him and asked, "What did you get for dinner?"

"Well, two wraps, soup, soda and sinfully chocolate fudge cake from-"he was cut off by Summer wrapping her free arm around him in a hug as they reached the second floor landing.

"I was just in the mood for that, it's my favorite, good choice!" Summer squealed.

Seth smiled; glad to just make her happy. They continued up to their two bedroom apartment. Summer opened the door and they put their groceries on the counter.

"Can I have a proper hello now?" Seth asked with one raised eyebrow. Summer nodded and wrapped her arms around Seth's neck and kissed him. When they stopped for air, Seth smiled and said, "Hello to you too."

Summer just rolled her eyes and kissed him again, surprised when he lifted her to sit on the counter. They stayed like that for a while, making out with Summer on the counter, when the buzzer surprised them.

"Delivery," a voice said. Seth groaned, "Come on up." A few seconds later someone knocked on the door and Seth took a bag of food and two drinks from the man and gave him his money.

"Where were we?" he asked Summer with a smirk. But she just hopped off the counter and said, "we were about to eat." Seth just groaned again and pulled out the food. Summer found it kind of cute that after six years together, Seth was still happy just making out with her. It was like they were still in high school, only without the parents. As she thought about this, she asked Seth, "Do you remember when we told your parents we were moving in together?" Seth smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I still can't believe we waited until we moved here to tell them." Summer laughed at the memory, she still couldn't believe that they gotten away with living together for two years at Brown without telling their parents. When Kirsten and Sandy would visit, Summer would hide most of her stuff, and sleep at a friends dorm, or a couple of times Seth surprised her with a hotel room, or a spa weekend. When Neil Roberts came, Seth would hide ALL of his stuff, and sleep somewhere else. The reason Summer only hid some of her stuff was because she knew Kirsten and Sandy probably assumed she spent a lot of time there anyway.

They spent most of dinner discussing all the times it almost slipped, and how they bribed Ryan and Marissa not to rat them out.

**Flashback:**

"_Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you," Seth said, holding Summer's hand, "we're moving in together." Sandy smiled and said, "Congratulations son, I'm really happy for you guys, you're gonna love life in the city." Kirsten also looked happy, but then she said, "Are you sure you're ready for this?" Seth and Summer exchanged knowing glances, and then Summer spoke up, "Yes, we're sure, and it's a great apartment. It's a third floor walk-up, in SoHo, with two bedrooms and a carpeted living room." Both parents' heads perked up at the sound of two bedrooms. Seth noticed but didn't say anything._

**End flashback.**

Summer and Seth both laughed, recalling that conversation from two years earlier.

"They seemed very surprised at their first visit." Seth recalled.

**Flashback:**

_Seth and Summer had cleaned every surface of their apartment at least three times each. They were both nervous of Seth's parents' opinions. They had become like Summer's family over the years, and she wanted them to be proud of her, and to know that she had a good life with their son. But what Seth and Summer didn't know, was that the Cohen's thought that for some strange reason, they each had opted for their own bedroom. _

_When they finally arrived, Summer gave them a tour of the moderately sized kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom. Then she led them to the last bedroom. In it was a large desk where there was a laptop and some writing supplies. On one wall stood a bookcase, holding all the books they had, which was more than either of them had expected. On the opposite wall, was a table with a stereo, and a huge CD holder._

_In the middle were two large, comfortable chairs. One was light purple, with a pink fuzzy pillow and a small purple plastic horse rested on top of it. The other was navy blue, with a green pillow, and a beige plastic horse. On the wall next to the door, was a poster hand drawn by Seth, depicting the two horses running in a field. _

_After the two parents surveyed the room, Summer said, "This is our favorite room. We spend a lot of time in here." _

_Sandy walked over and picked up Captain Oats. "Well, I haven't seen him in a while," he said, then picking up Princess Sparkle he added, "who's this?" _

_Summer explained and looked at Kirsten nervously. She just smiled and agreed it was a beautiful room. Sure, they were disappointed in the sleeping arrangements, but they should have realized it was an extra room. Ever since then, they were happy for the two, and visited often._

**End Flashback.**

"So are you excited about next weekend?" Summer asked.

"Huh," Seth said, looking completely confused with his mouth full of cake.

"Next weekend? Newport?" Summer tried to explain, but Seth still looked confused.

"Okay, next Thursday night, me and you are flying to Newport. We are staying at a hotel on Thursday. On Friday, we have the whole day to ourselves, and we're staying at the hotel. Saturday, we spend the day with your parents, we have a charity event that night-ew, and then we sleep at your parents'. Sunday, probably still with your parents. How is it possible that you don't remember any of this? I told you like two weeks ago."

Seth just smiled, "Well, your beauty distracts me, my dear." Summer rolled her eyes and looked at him in amazement.

"Well, now that you know are you excited?"

"I like the hotel part, the whole day together part, and one of the days with my parents," he responded, "but not so much the charity event and second day with my parents."

Summer just smiled, and then Seth realized something. He was really looking forward to that Friday, because he realized that it was his perfect opportunity. He had been thinking of when to propose to Summer, but didn't know when, where, or how. All he did was order the ring. Now he knew when and at least in what town, just not how. But hey, it's a start.

**Reviews! They are the best!**


	2. Worries and Doubts

**Title:** The Next Step

**Author:** Charmed-Sparkle

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The OC or anything else related to it (But I wish I owned Adam Brody!)

**Summary:** Summer and Seth have been out of high school for six years, and are living together in NYC. When Seth proposes, how will their lives change? SS, lots of fluff.

**A/N:** This is my first OC fic. Please be honest, I want to know if it's worth continuing.

**Chapter 2: Worries and Doubts**

Summer ran around the apartment, trying to grab anything she had forgotten, well actually, anything Seth had forgotten. Even with her reminding him everyday, he waited until Thursday morning to pack. Now, it was an hour until they had to go to the airport. He and Summer were scrambling, throwing things into bags and taking other things out.

"Cohen! How many comic books do you need for three days?" He responded by yelling back, "Summer! How many pairs of shoes do you need for three days?"

She promptly closed her mouth and settled with just glaring at him. She glanced over and saw him fumbling with something in one of his bags.

"What are you doing?"

"What, me I'm uh just checking, you know, make sure I got everything, don't wanna leave anything important behind, that would be bad because uh…" he trailed off and Summer went back to getting more toiletries.

Seth exhaled in relief; he was having trouble putting the ring somewhere Summer wouldn't find it. When she left the bathroom, Seth put it in his pocket and ran in. He locked the door, and opened the black velvet box. As soon as he saw the ring, Seth knew it was perfect for Summer. The center stone was a three carat princess cut diamond, and on either side there were smaller, one and a half carat pink diamonds. All three were set on a platinum band, and engraved on the inside it said,_ ForMy Summer, Love Seth. _He gently closed the box, put it in his pocket, and left the bathroom to go hide it inside one of his socks.

Summer noticed Seth acting strangely, but decided not to think anything of it. She was glad to have the whole day to themselves on Friday, in the warm, California sun. All she wanted to do was lie on the beach, and get her skin perfectly bronzed; with Seth sleeping, covered in sun block, beside her. But then she thought, he always acts like that when he's hiding something. So she went into their bedroom and as soon as she entered, he slammed his suitcase shut.

"Hey, what's up with you today?" she asked.

"Um, nothing, just thinking about tomorrow," Seth said quickly.

"Oh, okay," Summer dropped the issue and Seth was glad. He looked at her and saw her try to hide a smile. Fear overtook him, did she know? Then he realized that there was no possible way she could know. She just must be happy, he thought to himself. But he didn't know why she looked so happy.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom really quick, and then we should leave okay?" Summer walked out of the room before he had a chance to respond.

Once behind the solid wood door, she leaned back and rested her head against it, letting out a sigh of contentment. He must have a surprise for me! He wasn't focused, and was obviously hiding something. Summer figured that Seth had thought of some really cheesy and romantic, but incredibly cute, thing to do tomorrow. Though she hated to admit it, she was excited. She fixed her hair and exited the bathroom.

"Come on Cohen, lets go," she said happily, grabbing one of her bags.

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An hour and a half later, the very tired couple sat on the cold, plastic seats in the airport terminal. Seth had his arm around Summer, who was laying her head on his shoulder. She sighed contentedly and stated, "I'm tired." She felt him nod against her hair in agreement. But he really wasn't tired. He couldn't stop thinking about his proposal. He had recently decided that he was going to try and give Summer the best day of her life tomorrow; even if that meant carrying around the thousands of dollars of clothes, that he really couldn't afford, but still, that he would buy her.

Seth began to get worried as he thought of the costs and stress of tomorrow, but then Summer snuggled up close to him and buried her face in his neck,-in the middle of the airport terminal- gently kissed his jaw, and fell asleep. In that moment Seth looked at her and knew that it would all be worth once she said yes.

Then it hit him, what if she didn't say yes? She had come a long way since high school, they're current situation was proof of that, but she still had issues sometimes. He had hoped that after over six years, she had realized he would never leave her-again. After all, when he asked her if she wanted to move in together during sophomore year, she had said yes immediately, and in just a couple of months, they were moving in.

**Flashback:**

_"So, Sum, uhh, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked nervously._

"_Yeah," she nodded, feeling kind of afraid. Was he going to break up with her?_

"_So um I've been thinking, we've been really serious for a while now, and you know I'm always in you're dorm anyway, except for when you're at mine, or our parents are visiting," he added with a grin, "but I was thinking, we need more space." Summer interrupted him before he could continue._

"_You're breaking up with me? I can't believe this, after everything?" she yelled._

"_NO!" Seth quickly screamed back, "I guess I'm not doing do a good job of it, but I'm trying to ask you to move in with me." Summer stared at him for a second, then leaped into his arms, kissing him passionately._

"_Is that a yes?" Seth asked with a huge, goofy smile across his face._

"_Of course!" Summer yelled, her heart melting, she didn't even realize this was what she wanted until it happened, but it was. _

"_Cohen, I would love to move in with you, as long as you let me decorate," she added._

_He just looked down at her, with the same huge smile, dimples and all, and said, "anything you want Summer." _

**End Flashback.**

But marriage was completely different. They would be sharing everything, and even though they basically did that now, it would be different. But Seth figured that she had to know he would be proposing eventually. They were living together, dating steadily for seven years; the next step was to get engaged. He wanted it more than anything, to have his Summer be his fiancée, but all he could do was hope she felt the same way.

Once again just as he doubted things, Summer changed his mind. Now, her eyelids gently fluttered open.

"Cohen?" she asked sleepily.

"Yea," he whispered, into her hair.

"I can't wait until tomorrow; we can go to the beach, and hang out," she yawned, "and maybe even go shopping, if you want to." Seth smiled at this, because he realized she was still half asleep, and probably didn't know what she was saying.

"I love you," she whispered, and then cuddled even closer to his chest, letting his breathing lull her to sleep.

"I know," he whispered back, before he too fell into a relaxed slumber.

**A/N: There you go, second chapter. I realize it hasn't been very long, but I haven't gotten ANY reviews yet. From my stats I can see some people have read it, and one of you has this on alert! So please just leave a quick review, so I know I'm writing for someone besides me.**


	3. Plans and Surprises

**Title:** The Next Step

**Author:** Charmed-Sparkle

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The OC or anything else related to it (But I wish I owned Adam Brody!)

**Summary:** Summer and Seth have been out of high school for six years, and are living together in NYC. When Seth proposes, how will their lives change? SS, lots of fluff.

**Chapter 3: Plans and Surprises**

Seth woke up to hear the first class section of his flight being boarded onto the plane, and a flash in his face. He made a face and opened his eyes fully. There was a girl, about six years old holding a Polaroid camera in front of him.

"I'm sorry," she said shyly, "I was just practicing with the new camera my mommy got me, here you can have it." She held out the photo of him and Summer sleeping. He smiled when he saw it; it was actually a good picture. Seth looked at the girl and said "Well thanks, this is a great picture, it looks professional!" The girl beamed at him, and he gave her two dollars out of his pocket. She squealed a thank you and then ran off to tell her mother of her fortune. Then they called for first class again, and Seth realized he needed to wake Summer, which was never really easy when she was especially tired.

"Sum, come on, time to get up," he said into her ear. But she just mumbled something into his shirt and tried to press herself closer to him. Then he spoke again,

"Summer, baby, come on we have to go," he shook her a little harder this time, and she woke up.

"Cohen, they're still calling first class, we have time," she said, sounding annoyed.

"That sounds great, but we can't afford that."

"Don't worry about it, I've been saving, to surprise you." Summer smiled at this.

Seth wasn't really lying, he had been saving, ever since they had been living together, Seth had been putting a little bit of money in a fund. It was for anything, little extras, a vacation, in case of anything, but recently it was more like The Engagement Fund. The past few months he had added more, since he had gotten a raise, and he was more serious about the proposal. After using it to pay for the ring, the first class upgrades, and the surprise suite at the hotel, plus a couple of extra things for the following night, he still had more money than he expected left. He decided that he would keep putting money in it, after he told Summer about it, which would be after the proposal if it went well.

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Over six hours later, Seth was in the Newport airport, trying to balance all of their bags on the cart he had gotten.

"Cohen! Hurry up, I wanna get to the hotel," Summer demanded, tapping her high heeled shoes against the floor.

"I'm trying Sum, just give me a minute," he was jet-lagged and grumpy too, but remembered that he was intending to make her VERY happy before tomorrow night, and kept his mouth shut.

Once he had all of their bags, and they were driving away from the airport in the Mercedes Convertible he had rented, Seth was glad to find Summer in a good mood. He was hoping that the next day, he would have Jesus, Moses, and whatever other bearded deity that would be willing to help him, on his side. It seemed very likely, since Summer was smiling happily as she contemplated what they should do the next day.

"I want to go to the beach," she said firmly and then added, "and maybe shopping, if you want to."

"Okay."

"Okay?" She couldn't believe it, he usually-no- always complained about shopping.

"Yeah," he said, "you've been working so hard, you deserve anything you want this weekend, besides, don't you need a dress for Saturday?" Summer just nodded.

"Oh, and I got us a suite."

Summer then leaned over the center console to kiss his neck. She continued to this, moving from his neck to his ear, and whispering huskily, "Good thing we'll be at a hotel tonight, with its thick walls," he looked at her a little confused, "you know, just in case things get a little to loud…" She trailed off, and went back to working on his neck. Maybe this weekend wouldn't be too bad for him either…

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Seth woke up first the next morning and being careful not to wake Summer, he picked up his clothes from where they had been thrown on the floor the previous night, picked up Summer's and put them on the edge of the bed, and went to make coffee. As he scooped the grinds into the paper cone, he felt very nervous. He still had the whole day to go before actually proposing, but it had to go perfectly. He thought that if the day didn't have everything Summer wanted, she might not say yes. He didn't know if it was true, but in his mind, it was better safe than sorry.

As he drank his coffee, he planned the day. He thought they would have breakfast, then shower (together if he was lucky), get dressed, and go to South Coast Plaza. After buying Summer basically everything she wanted, they would go for lunch at the crab shack, for old time's sake. Then to the beach until it was time to get ready for dinner. Then, Seth had arranged for Summer's favorite restaurant in LA to bring both of her favorite dishes to the pier. They were going to have a candlelit dinner on the pier, which would end in him giving a little speech, and taking out the ring.

"Good Morning," Summer's voice pulled him out of his trance as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek from behind.

"It is now," he said, turning around for a real kiss. When they stopped she said, "cheesy Cohen." Then he sat her on his lap and told her his plan for the day, excluding his hope for the joint shower and leaving the late night plans as "a surprise for dinner." He was very happy about how excited Summer seemed, and she wanted to start right away. He just said "All in time my dear." So she let it drop, and told Seth everything she wanted for breakfast.

A little while later they were happily eating French toast, bacon and strawberries when Summer said that she was kind of cold.

"D you want one of my sweatshirts?" Seth offered.

"No, my feet are cold, but I didn't pack any socks!"

"Why wouldn't you pack socks?"

"Because, we're actually in warm weather, none of my shoes required them," she stated as if it were common knowledge.

"Can I have a pair of yours?" she asked innocently.

"Sure, they're in my duffel on the left side," he responded without thinking. It took him about two bites of bacon to realize where he sent her.

"Summer! No!" he shouted, running into the bedroom of the hotel room.

It was too late. He walked into the room, and she was kneeling on the floor, one of Seth's socks at her feet, with the ring box closed in her hand. She heard him come in and looked at him, one hand covering her mouth, with tears in her eyes. For the first time in his life Seth was completely and utterly speechless, so he said the only thing he could remember.

Kneeling down in front of her and taking her free hand, he said simply,

"Will you marry me?"

**A/N: Ooh Suspense! Lol, please review!**


	4. Smiles and Answers

**Title:** The Next Step

**Author:** Charmed-Sparkle

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The OC or anything else related to it (But I wish I owned Adam Brody!)

**Summary:** Summer and Seth have been out of high school for six years, and are living together in NYC. When Seth proposes, how will their lives change? SS, lots of fluff.

**Chapter 4: Smiles and Answers**

Summer was still staring at him, tears in her eyes, but he couldn't tell if they were happy or sad tears, because her hand was covering her mouth and some of her nose. That's when he knew he screwed up.

"Wait, don't answer," he said, "I upgraded the tickets, the room, I planned today, I set up everything with dinner, I had most of my big romantic speech, this isn't what planned, this isn't good enough!" Summer was in shock. She was really curious about his speech, but she seemed to have forgotten most of her vocabulary and said all she could think of at the moment, "Go."

"What? You want me to leave?" Never in his wildest dreams had Seth thought she would kick him out when he proposed.

"No, the speech, go, say it." That was all she could say for now and it came out muffled by her hand. He took a deep breath,

"Okay, I'm not going to say the speech I planned. That was meant to end a perfect day, and since it is now only eleven o' clock, it needs to be more special. Summer, I love you. The day I found out we would be together in college; I didn't think I could be happier. Then, as sophomores, we got our own place. Then, we moved to New York City, and I was in my dream city, with my dream girl. I can come home, after having the crappiest day ever, and you will just be there, reading a magazine, or on the computer, and you come over and when you ask how my day was, and I don't answer, you just know, and you kiss me, and it's all better. I try everyday, to do the same for you, and I can only hope that it works, because all I want is for you to be happy, because you make me soo happy, and I want you to get that same amazing feeling. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I see is you, and I want it to stay that way for the rest of my life, the rest of our lives, our _life_. Summer, will you marry me?"

He finished and looked at Summer, whose tears had spilled onto her cheeks, but her hand went from her mouth back down to rest next to her leg, and he saw she was smiling, **_really_** smiling. But she didn't say anything, she just smiled and cried and then nodded. She nodded, and that was the most beautiful thing Seth had ever seen. Then he realized that the ring box was still closed, so he opened it, and, held it out to Summer. She gasped, and her eyes lit up more than when he got her the Minolo's she wanted for Chrismukkah. For the past ten minutes she had been silent, and now the words came.

"Yes, yes oh god yes, of course I'll marry you!" she said all in one breathe. This time Seth smiled his wide, dimpled, Cohen-y smile.

"Really?" He honestly seemed like he couldn't believe it.

"Yes!" she squealed.

"I think I might be dreaming," he said, completely serious. So as if to prove it to himself, he carefully took the ring out of the box and slipped onto Summer's left ring finger. Then she flung herself at him and kissed him so fiercely he had to put one hand behind him to keep from falling. She couldn't get enough of him at that moment, so she kissed and hugged him at the same time, opening her left eye once in a while to peek at the huge rock on her finger. She finally let go, and all the tears were gone, just the smile remained.

"Oh, the ring's engraved by the way," Seth said once he caught his breathe. She slowly took it off, being extremely careful. She held it and slowly turned it to read the writing. _For My Summer, Love Seth. _My Summer, she really was his now. Of course she had been for over six years, but now all someone would have to do was to look at her finger and know. Then she couldn't finish thinking, because now _Seth _couldn't get enough of _her_, and she didn't mind. She didn't mind at all. But then she realized something.  
"Cohen, wait," she said, pushing him just a few inches away from her.

"Yeah?"

"Can we still do what you planned today? Except for the buying me lots of stuff, because this ring has you covered for a WHILE." Seth grinned even wider if that was possible.  
"I knew, well no, I was hoping you would like it. But it's okay, I still want you to have the perfect day, the only difference is I won't be worried the whole time." They smiled for what seemed like the millionth time each that day. That morning, Summer got what she didn't even know she wanted- an engagement. But Seth got two things he already knew he wanted, Summer as his fiancée, and that lucky shower!

A/N: So there you go, she said yes! Now I need opinions do you want to see their perfect day? Or should I skip it? I could do it in one chapter, more fluff! Tell me what you think!


	5. Money and Perfection

Title: The Next Step

Author: Charmed-Sparkle

Disclaimer: I don't own The OC or anything else related to it (But I wish I owned Adam Brody!)

Summary: Summer and Seth have been out of high school for six years, and are living together in NYC. When Seth proposes, how will their lives change? SS, lots of fluff.

A/N: Whoever watched this Thursday, (April 6) I know we could all use some fluff! So to get your mind off things, here's the 5th chapter. Review!

**Chapter 5: Money and Perfection**

Seth's perfect day was, for the most part, over. They ordered breakfast, got dressed, and (after one minor bedroom delay,) left to go shopping. Summer, still happy from her engagement, hadn't bought _too_ much and Seth, also happy, didn't complain once about carrying it. Then they ate lunch at their favorite booth in The Crab Shack, and went to the beach. Now, it was getting late and Summer kept saying how hungry she was.

"Let's go get dressed, and then we can get dinner, it should be ready by 7:30," Seth told her, trying to sound casual.

"What should be ready at 7:30? Do we have reservations?"

"Something like that."

Truthfully, Summer was worried. Not about the actual engagement, she'd actually been hoping for that. It was hard to believe, Summer Roberts, the girl who was afraid of serious relationships and even more so of public ones, was thrilled beyond words to be engaged (to Seth Cohen no less) and couldn't stop smiling when she saw someone look at her ring. When she first found the ring, her initial reaction was sheer shock. Ever since they had graduated college, she had the future at the back of her mind. Not the next day future, but in ten years, where did she see herself? Usually, she didn't like to think about that, but sometimes, when it was late at night, and she could feel Seth's chest rise and fall beneath her, the future slipped into her head. Most things were cloudy, but she always pictured Seth there. That's why as soon as she regained her composure, she felt joy swell inside of her. That was when Seth had run into the room, and just seeing him made it all seem so real, so it took until he opened the ring box to respond. So no, for once Summer wasn't worried about the intensity of her relationship. She was actually worried about _money._

Summer was no moron; she knew that Seth had spent a lot more than he was able to. They were doing pretty good financially and Summer had her trust fund, but they couldn't afford first-class plane tickets, a Newport hotel Suite, and the rock on her finger. The trust funds didn't even matter, because Seth was going to get in his in installments each year starting from when he was twenty-five next year. They didn't even know you were allowed to do that. So when Summer was set to get her trust fund, they'd sat down and talked about it.

**Flashback:**

"_Listen, Sum, I know you're looking forward to getting your trust fund, but, I don't want to be dependent on your dad. We moved in together last year, and I always loved that we created our own life together. The only people we're dependent on are each other. I think that maybe you should set aside for…the future, and emergencies. Just think about it." That was really the only time they had said the F word. So Summer thought about it-for about two minutes._

"_Ok, sounds good," she responded simply._

"_Really?" He had on one of his trademark ear to ear smiles, and Summer couldn't help but kiss him._

"_Really," she said minutes later, pulling back for air. _

**End Flashback**

"Seth, look, I don't want you spending a lot of money okay? Everything about this trip has been perfect; you don't have to do anything else." She gave him a genuine smile and a quick peck on the cheek as they entered the car.

"Don't worry, and besides, everything is already paid for. I was planning on proposing tonight at the dinner, but uh, that's already taken care of," he glanced at Summer when he said this, and she just blushed, smiled, and rubbed her ring finger. Seth noticed, and took her left hand in his, fiddling with the ring.

"So you like it huh?"

"YES!" she squealed, "it's gorgeous, and perfect for me, I mean how did you remember that princess cut is my favorite? And that engraving is the sweetest thing you could fit on a ring. And you knew that pink is my favorite color, so you put it in. It's perfect, Cohen."

Then she was reminded again of everything, and luckily they were at a red light so she could lean across the console and kiss him full force. But Summer got a little into it, and before they knew it; cars were honking from all directions.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it," Seth whispered into her ear before leaning back into his seat, looking quite pleased with himself. For the rest of the ride, Summer tried to guess what they were doing for dinner, but she never came close.

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"Cohen! Come on, just tell me where we're going, this blindfold's screwing up my hair," Summer was complaining, but was actually very curious.

"Here's a hint: your favorite restaurant in California."  
"Really? But it's all the way in LA, and it's too expensive," Summer tried to hide it, but was visibly excited now.

"Actually, we're here, but don't take off the blindfold yet." Summer sighed and waited for Seth to guide her out of the car.

"Okay, I'm gonna help you walk, just trust me." Then Seth took her shoulders and helped her walk down the pier. Once they reached near where the Summer Breeze was docked, Seth stopped.

"Okay, ready?" Summer nodded and Seth took off the blindfold. Summer gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. In front of her was a round table, set for two, with candles and rose petals on the linen.

"What do you think?" Seth cautiously looked up from where he was staring at the ground.

"It's-I-well-how did you do this?" she couldn't even speak correctly.

"I made a few phone calls."

"It's amazing, I mean, wow, just-" Before she could finish Seth interrupted her.

"Beautiful," but he was staring straight at her. She blushed, and snuggled into his arm.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly into his chest.

"Anything for you, now come on let's eat." Summer looked up and Seth could see there were a few tears on her cheeks.

"Now, I know you always have trouble deciding between your favorite entrees, so I got both. I also got a piece of cheesecake and one of their amazing brownies," Seth tried to lighten the mood, and luckily it worked.

"That's the best stuff there, oh my god, come on," now she was dragging him to the chairs.

They both filled their plates with the entrees, and ate a lot for a few minutes before they started talking.

"So, we haven't really talked about the wedding," Summer started.

"Yeah, but everything is up to you, I know you've probably got a lot of ideas."

"Yeah," she smiled, "and sorry to bring this up again, but how are we paying for it?"

"Well, I'm sure my parents will want to help once we tell them, and I'll be getting the first part of my trust fund soon, and we have yours," he mumbled the last part, "but you don't have to use it."

"Actually, um, when we first talked about it, this is kind of what I had in mind as far as what to use it for. That's really what I want, so let's use all three okay?"

"Sure," Seth grinned, "now where would you like to have it?"

"Um, I was thinking, New York is our home now, and I love it more than anything, and our life is there, but I would like to have a Newport wedding. It's so beautiful, and we don't have to worry about weather, it will be like closing one part of our lives. Unless you had your heart set on New York."

"Newport sounds great," surprisingly, Seth actually liked the idea.

"How are we gonna tell your parents? Ryan? Marissa? Oh my god, my dad!" Summer's eyes widened.

"Right, well I was thinking we could tell my parents and Ryan tomorrow, separately of course, with Ryan first. It's up to you when to tell Marissa, and your dad should know."

"What do you mean my dad should know?"

"Three days before we left, I called your dad to get his blessing, and I did."

"HOW?"

**Flashback:**

"_Neil Roberts' office how may I help you?"_

"_Uh, can I speak to Dr. Roberts?"_

"_May I ask who's speaking?"_

"_This is Seth, Seth Cohen, his daughter's boyfriend."_

"_Let me see if he's in." Seth hoped Dr. Roberts would talk to him, Summer should be home soon and he didn't have a lot of time._

"_Hello?" Neil had answered the phone._

"_Dr. Roberts? Hi, it's Seth." There was a short pause._

"_Hello, how are you, how's Summer, is everything okay?"_

"_Actually everything's great, there's just something I wanted to talk to you about."_

"_What is it Seth?"_

"_Well, you're going to be out of town, but Summer and I are going to be visiting from Thursday to Sunday, and on Friday, I would like to ask her to marry me-with your blessing."_

"_Oh," Seth couldn't recognize his tone._

"_As you know, we've been dating steadily for over six years, and living together for two, and I think it is time to get married. I love her very much, and I know she loves me too, and I can take care of her."_

"_I may not like you too much, but Summer is happy with you, and I guess we can get along better. I think it is very honorable that you are even asking me, so, I give you my blessing."_

**End Flashback**

"I can't believe you did that," Summer said, "that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"I just wanted to make sure that nothing would get in the way."

"Nothing can get in the way, now come on, and get out that cheesecake." Seth happily obliged and they ate most of the slice he had gotten.

"I have an idea for the brownie, come on, let's go eat it on the beach."

"Okay," Summer stood up and took Seth's free hand heading for the beach. They spent the rest of the night just sitting on the beach, Summer sitting with her back against Seth's chest, staring out to the ocean, feeding each other their chocolate dessert. Each only said one thing.

Summer leaned back, sighing happily, "thank you." Seth knew exactly what she meant.

"No, thank _you_," and she knew what he did.

**A/N:** I just wanted to say that I'm going to be in Florida from the 12th to 17th, and I'm not sure if I'm bringing my computer, so I'll try to update before than, but if I don't I will definitely write on vacation, so look for an update sometime soon, then in about a week and a half. **REVIEWS ARE STILL AWESOME!**


	6. Tellings and Feelings

Title: The Next Step

Author: Charmed-Sparkle

Disclaimer: I don't own The OC or anything else related to it (But I wish I owned Adam Brody!)

Summary: Summer and Seth have been out of high school for six years, and are living together in NYC. When Seth proposes, how will their lives change? SS, lots of fluff.

A/N: Okay, sorry about the wait, here's the next chapter, it's really fluffy, but hey, who needs more drama? Lol, enjoy and review!

**Chapter 6: Tellings and Feelings**

The next morning, Summer woke up to Seth gently kissing her neck. She tried to hide her smile and feign sleep.

"Wake up beautiful," Seth whispered in her ear. She couldn't hide it anymore and rolled over to face him.

"Good morning," she whispered and kissed his cheek, "how did you sleep?"

He smiled and answered, "Wonderfully! Being engaged must do that to you." Suddenly Summers eyes lit up and her smile grew even wider.

Seth looked confused, "What? Did you forget?"

She glanced at him nervously, "I didn't forget, I just, I don't know I guess it's just nice to keep hearing it." She was telling the truth; of course she remembered; how could you forget? But hearing stuff like that-engaged, fiancée, even just ring made her remember the proposal and she couldn't help but get excited all over again.

Summer wasn't the only excited one, Seth was ecstatic. This was literally his dream come true. Everyone knows he's loved Summer since before she even spoke to him, and somehow he was lying in bed next to her, with an engagement ring on her finger. To top it all off, she seemed as happy as him. As Seth recalled the events of the day before, he remembered a specific part of one of their conversations; they had discussed telling their family. Not only did his parents need to know, but Summer's dad, and of course Ryan and Marissa.

Summer seemed to be thinking the same thing because all of a sudden she turned and said, "Cohen! I have to tell Coop!" Seth's smile grew so his dimples were showing and Summer felt like melting, "What? What's so funny?"

"No it's just, I'm so glad that you want to tell people, and just, it really shows that you're happy."

Summer cupped his face in her hand and smiled, "Cohen, give yourself some more credit! Of course I'm happy, I'm thrilled and I can't wait to tell everyone okay? So let's get dressed so we can start." His heart leapt, and if he hadn't been naked under the blankets, he probably would've ran to the balcony and proclaimed his joy to the world. But instead, he settled with kissing Summer once again, and getting ready for another big, hopefully good, day.

A little while later they were both dressed and ready to go, and after a quick call to Ryan and Marissa, they were on their way to their home to break the news

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They pulled up in front of the large house that Ryan and Marissa had been sharing for about six months, and Seth stopped the car, but didn't get out.

"What's the matter?" Summer asked.

"How are we gonna tell them? Should we sit them down, or maybe just run and tell them, or wait a little while?" Summer thought about it for a minute.

"I have an idea, we'll just walk in, chat and I'll just see if they notice, if not we'll tell them." Seth seemed satisfied with the answer and got out of the car, Summer followed and together they walked to the front door, nervously, since these were the first people they were telling. Summer rang the door bell and almost immediately Marissa had flung the door open and threw her arms around Summer, squealing. Summer squealed back, and they just hugged for a while, then Marissa seemed to remember Seth, and gave him a hug too.

"Wow, I haven't seen you guys in a while, how are you?" Seth glanced at Summer and smiled.

"We're pretty good, you know, kind of jet lagged, but good, where's Ryan?"

"He's in the shower, but come in, he should be out soon." They followed her in, commenting on some new things they had added to the house in the four months since Seth and Summer had come to California. Al of a sudden Ryan came into the kitchen, his hair still wet.

"Seth, man, how've you been?"

"I've been great, what about you huh? In this huge mansion? You just had to show me up huh, my place is probably the size of your bathroom." They both laughed and Marissa put some sodas on the table.

"Nah," Ryan answered, "I love your place, but seriously how's everything, how about with you Summer?" Summer decided this was the time to try and get their attention on the ring. She casually brushed her out of her face with her left hand and started to answer Ryan when Marissa interrupted her.

"Oh my god, no way, oh my god!" Summer and Seth both smiled and Ryan just looked confused.

"What?" he asked. Then Marissa grabbed Summer and hugged her even harder than before, "Sum! Why didn't you tell me! I can't believe this." Ryan looked more confused than ever so Marissa grabbed Summer's hand and shoved it in his face, and he finally realized what was going on. He smiled too, and hugged Seth, then Summer. Once everyone had hugged, they all sat down while the newly engaged couple told the events of the previous day.

Once they had finished, both Ryan and Marissa congratulated them again, and both seemed really happy when Seth told him that they were the first to know. Marissa was still full of questions. She asked where the wedding was going to be, how they were going to tell the Cohen's and Dr. Roberts, even when the wedding would be.

"Whoa, calm down guys," Seth said, "all we know is that the wedding will be in Newport." Both Ryan and Marissa suddenly looked really hopeful, but Summer quickly changed that/

"No guys, we're still living in New York, only the wedding is going to be here." Their excitement faded a little, but they had both figured that they would stay in new York.

After some more catching up, Seth and Summer decided that they needed to tell his parents, and both couples got into their cars and started the ten minute drive to the Cohen's.

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Once they got there, Seth and Summer once again had to discuss how to break the news again. They agreed to this time formally tell them, and asked Ryan and Marissa to give them some alone time for a few minutes. So as they headed to the pool house, Seth and Summer walked to the door, even more nervously this time. Summer took a deep breath and looked at Seth, "Are you ready?" He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry," he assured her, "They'll be thrilled, they've been wanting this for a while." With that, he knocked first, but then just walked into the house.

"Mom? Dad?" he called. They both came bounding down the stairs, hugging both him and Summer.

"Where are Ryan and Marissa?" Kirsten asked.

"Oh, they should be here in a little while," Seth answered, "why don't we sit down, catch up." They all went into the living room and sat down together. Summer looked at Seth and he nodded.

"Okay, Mom, Dad," Seth started, "There's something we need to tell you." Now Sandy and Kirsten looked at each other, both confused and worried.

Seth spoke again, "Yesterday, I proposed to Summer-" Both adults' heads shot up and Summer finished Seth's sentence.

"And I accepted."

Now Kirsten spoke up, "So, you're getting married?"

"Well, that usually is what happens after a proposal," Seth teased. Sandy and Kirsten both stood up, and Kirsten ran to Summer and hugged her, smiling with tears in her eyes, while Sandy hugged Seth and congratulated him. Then they switched, and Sandy said,

"You've felt like part of the family ever since you first started dating Seth, but I'm so glad it's finally going to be official, congratulations guys."

Now Summer had tears in her eyes too. Seth put his arm around her, and kissed her cheek. Neither of them realized how important this was to Sandy and Kirsten. For a while, the whole family celebrated and Seth was feeling great, until he realized that it was almost time to tell Dr. Roberts. Even though he had asked permission, the way he had spoken made Seth think he was kind of just saying that to be done with it and blow him off. Seth looked at Summer and decided to just swallow his pride and do whatever was needed to gain Dr. Roberts' approval, because she was worth it.


End file.
